• 한국HCI학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2009.02a
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• pp.596-600
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• 2009

As the amount of available information increases rapidly, sometimes the efficient search method alone is not enough to obtain necessary information in timely manner. Therefore additional support is needed to share the burden of searching for and filtering information. In the area of ubiquitous computing, computer systems existing everywhere should be able to proactively provide information just in time. Resource matching is essential in order to develop a system searching and recommending information required for a user in a specific context. This paper describes the infrastructure and methodology of information providing including systematical organization representation, ontological resource demarcation, and resource matching in the environment of a research institute. A specific application was developed to illustrate the proposed approach.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.2911-2916
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• 2014

Oxaliplatin is a first-line therapy for colorectal cancer, but cancer cell resistance to the drug compromises its efficacy. To explore mechanisms of drug resistance, we treated colorectal cancer cells (HCT116 and SW620) long-term with oxaliplatin and established stable oxaliplatin-resistant lines (HCT116-OX and SW620-OX). Compared with parental cell lines, $IC_{50}$s for various chemotherapeutic agents (oxaliplatin, cisplatin and doxorubicin) were increased in oxaliplatin-resistant cell lines and this was accompanied by activation of nuclear factor erythroid-2 p45-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and NADPH quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1). Furthermore, luteolin inhibited the Nrf2 pathway in oxaliplatin-resistant cell lines in a dose-dependent manner. Luteolin also inhibited Nrf2 target gene [NQO1, heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and $GST{\alpha}1/2$] expression and decreased reduced glutathione in wild type mouse small intestinal cells. There was no apparent effect in Nrf2-/- mice. Luteolin combined with other chemotherapeutics had greater anti-cancer activity in resistant cell lines (combined index values below 1), indicating a synergistic effect. Therefore, adaptive activation of Nrf2 may contribute to the development of acquired drug-resistance and luteolin could restore sensitivity of oxaliplatin-resistant cell lines to chemotherapeutic drugs. Inhibition of the Nrf2 pathway may be the mechanism for this restored therapeutic response.

• Proceedings of the Korean Information Science Society Conference
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• 2001.10b
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• pp.55-57
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• 2001

강화학습은 한 에이전트가 자신이 놓여진 환경으로부터의 보상을 최대화할 수 있는 최적의 행동 전략을 학습하는 것이다. 따라서 강화학습은 입력(상태)과 출력(행동)의 쌍으로 명확한 훈련 예들이 제공되는 교사 학습과는 다르다. 특히 Q-학습과 같은 비 모델 기반(model-free)의 강화학습은 사전에 환경에 대한 별다른 모델을 설정하거나 학습할 필요가 없으며 다양한 상태와 행동들을 충분히 자주 경험할 수만 있으면 최적의 행동전략에 도달할 수 있어 다양한 응용분야에 적용되고 있다. 하지만 실제 응용분야에서 Q-학습과 같은 강화학습이 겪는 최대의 문제는 큰 상태 공간을 갖는 문제의 경우에는 적절한 시간 내에 각 상태와 행동들에 대한 최적의 Q값에 수렴할 수 없어 효과를 거두기 어렵다는 점이다. 이런 문제점을 고려하여 본 논문에서는 로봇 축구 시뮬레이션 환경에서 각 선수 에이전트의 동적 위치 결정을 위해 효과적인 새로운 Q-학습 방법을 제안한다. 이 방법은 원래 문제의 상태공간을 몇 개의 작은 모듈들로 나누고 이들의 개별적인 Q-학습 결과를 단순히 결합하는 종래의 모듈화 Q-학습(Modular Q-Learning)을 개선하여, 보상에 끼친 각 모듈의 기여도에 따라 모듈들의 학습결과를 적응적으로 결합하는 방법이다. 이와 같은 적응적 중재에 기초한 모듈화 Q-학습법(Adaptive Mediation based Modular Q-Learning, AMMQL)은 종래의 모듈화 Q-학습법의 장점과 마찬가지로 큰 상태공간의 문제를 해결할 수 있을 뿐 아니라 보다 동적인 환경변화에 유연하게 적응하여 새로운 행동 전략을 학습할 수 있다는 장점을 추가로 가질 수 있다. 이러한 특성을 지닌 AMMQL 학습법은 로봇축구와 같이 끊임없이 실시간적으로 변화가 일어나는 다중 에이전트 환경에서 특히 높은 효과를 볼 수 있다. 본 논문에서는 AMMQL 학습방법의 개념을 소개하고, 로봇축구 에이전트의 동적 위치 결정을 위한 학습에 어떻게 이 학습방법을 적용할 수 있는지 세부 설계를 제시한다.

• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.416-441
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• 2010

This paper attempts to develop a framework articulating a suite of indicators of cluster development, based upon existing work on the economic geography of clusters, cluster frameworks and indicators and cluster policies. Unlike other work the framework adopted here emphasizes adaptive and proactive roles played by agents, whether individual or collective, within the cluster when understanding it as a learning environment to capture an implication made from adopting the cluster perspective. Some possible indicators are operationalized and suggested even if they are not definitive and exhaustive. The conceptual framework and the specific indicators suggested can provide policy-makers and key stakeholders in clusters with a proper set of tools for measuring the level of cluster development, maneuvering a broader strategic planning exercise for successful cluster development.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.230-238
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• 2004

The adverse health effects of a number of environment pollutions are related to the formation of free radicals. Induction of antioxidant defensive system in the response to an oxidative attack is an essential element of the cell to survive. CYP2E1 is easily induced by organic solvents and induces continuous formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). ${\gamma}$-Glutamyltranspeptidase (${\gamma}$GT) plays an important role in glutathione metabolism and xenobiotic detoxification. To evaluate the characteristic of oxidative stress which induces GGT expression and to understand human antioxidant defensive response against oxidative stress induced by CYP2E1, we studied regulation of ${\gamma}$GT enzyme expression in response to various oxidative stresses in human HepG2 cells. The ${\gamma}$GT activity was not modified after exposure of acute oxidative stress inducing agents (ferric nitrilotriacetate, cumene hydroperoxide, ADP-Fe, O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate, tumor necrosis factor-alpha). To induce continuous exposure of cells to ROS, HepG2 cells were transfected by human CYP2E1 gene transiently. The CYP2E1 activity was verified with chlorzoxazone hydroxylation. Transfection of CYP2E1 showed continuous 60% increase in intracellular ROS and 240 % increase in microsomal ROS. CYP2E1 overexpressing cells showed increased ${\gamma}$GT activity (2.5-fold). The observed enhancement of ${\gamma}$GT activity correlated with a significant increase of ${\gamma}$GT mRNA (2.1-fold). Treatment with antioxidant strongly prevented the increase in ${\gamma}$GT activity. The CYP2E1 overexpression did not modify toxicity index and increased glutathione levels. These results show that continuous exposure of cells to ROS produced by CYP2E1 up-regulates ${\gamma}$GT; This may be one of the adaptive antioxidant responses of cells to oxidative insult. Present study also suggests that the induction of ${\gamma}$GT could be used as a marker of oxidative stress induced by exposure to organic solvents.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.265-276
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• 2018

Background: Resilience engineering is a paradigm for safety management that focuses on coping with complexity to achieve success, even considering several conflicting goals. Modern sociotechnical systems have to be resilient to comply with the variability of everyday activities, the tight-coupled and under-specified nature of work, and the nonlinear interactions among agents. At organizational level, resilience can be described as a combination of four cornerstones: monitoring, responding, learning, and anticipating. Methods: Starting from these four categories, this article aims at defining a semiquantitative analytic framework to measure organizational resilience in complex sociotechnical systems, combining the resilience analysis grid and the analytic hierarchy process. Results: This article presents an approach for defining resilience abilities of an organization, creating a structured domain-dependent framework to define a resilience profile at different levels of abstraction, and identifying weaknesses and strengths of the system and potential actions to increase system's adaptive capacity. An illustrative example in an anesthesia department clarifies the outcomes of the approach. Conclusion: The outcome of the resilience analysis grid, i.e., a weighed set of probing questions, can be used in different domains, as a support tool in a wider Safety-II oriented managerial action to bring safety management into the core business of the organization.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Navigation and Port Research Conference
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• 2023.05a
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• pp.132-133
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• 2023

The safe evacuation of people during disasters is of utmost importance. Various life safety evacuation simulation tools have been developed and implemented, with most relying on algorithms that analyze maps to extract the shortest path and guide agents along predetermined routes. While effective in predicting evacuation routes in stable disaster conditions and short timeframes, this approach falls short in dynamic situations where disaster scenarios constantly change. Existing algorithms struggle to respond to such scenarios, prompting the need for a more adaptive evacuation route algorithm that can respond to changing disasters. Artificial intelligence technology based on reinforcement learning holds the potential to develop such an algorithm. As a fundamental step in algorithm development, this study aims to evaluate whether an evacuation algorithm developed by reinforcement learning satisfies the performance conditions of the evacuation simulation tool required by IMO MSC.1/Circ1533.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.481-489
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• 2010

Introduction: TLR-5, a member of the toll-like receptor (TLR) family, is a element of the type I transmembrane receptors, which are characterized by an intracellular signaling domain homolog to the interleukin-1 receptor. These receptors recognize microbial components, particularly bacterial flagellin. All-trans retinoic acid (atRA, tretinoin), a natural metabolite of vitamin A, acts as a growth and differentiation factor in many tissues, and is also needed for immune functions. In this study, THP-1 human macrophage-monocytes were used to examine the mechanisms by which atRA regulated the expression of TLR-5. Because the molecular mechanism underlying this regulation at the transcriptional level is also unclear, this study examined which putative transcription factors are responsible for TLR-5 expression by atRA in immune cells. Materials and Methods: This study examined whether atRA induces the expression of TLR-5 in THP-1 cells using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and which transcription factors are involved in regulating the TLR-5 promoter in RAW264.7 cells using a reporter assay system. Western blot analysis was used to determine which signal pathway is involved in the expression of TLR-5 in atRA-treated THP-1 cells. Results: atRA at a concentration of 10 nM greatly induced the expression of TLR-5 in THP-1 cells. Human TLR-5 promoter contains three Sp-1/GC binding sites around -50 bp and two NF-kB binding sites at -380 bp and -160 bp from the transcriptional start site of the TLR-5 gene. Sp-1/GC is primarily responsible for the constitutive TLR-5 expression, and may also contribute to NF-kB at -160 bp to induce TLR-5 after atRA stimulation in THP-1 cells. The role of NF-kB in TLR-5 expression was further confirmed by inhibitor pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC) experiments, which greatly reduced the TLR-5 transcription by 70-80%. Conclusion: atRA induces the expression of the human TLR-5 gene and NF-kB is a critical transcription factor for the atRA-induced expression of TLR-5. Accordingly, it is conceivable that retinoids are required for adequate innate and adaptive immune responses to agents of infectious diseases. atRA and various synthetic retinoids have been used therapeutically in human diseases, such as leukemia and other cancers due to the antiproliferative and apoptosis inducing effects of retinoids. Therefore, understanding the molecular regulatory mechanism of TLR-5 may assist in the design of alternative strategies for the treatment of infectious diseases, leukemia and cancers.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.12
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• pp.2214-2223
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• 2016

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) can recognize conserved molecular patterns and initiate a wide range of innate and adaptive immune responses against invading infectious agents. The aim of this study was to assess the transcript profile of mink TLRs (mTLRs) in mink peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and a range of tissues, and to explore the potential role of mTLRs in the antiviral immune response process. The results indicated that the mTLR partial nucleotide sequences had a high degree of nucleotide identity with ferret sequences (95-98%). Phylogenetic analysis showed that mammalian TLRs grouped into five TLR families, with a closer relationship of the mTLRs with those of ferret than the other mammalian sequences. Moreover, all the mTLRs were ubiquitously expressed in lymphoid organs (spleen and lymph nodes) and PBMCs. Interestingly, the mTLR expression patterns in lung, uterus, and heart showed quite a lot of similarity. Another remarkable observation was the wide expression of mTLR1-3 mRNAs in all tissues. Among the analyzed tissues, skeletal muscle was revealed to being the lowest repertoire of mTLR expression. Additionally, mink PBMCs exposed to the canine distemper virus revealed significant upregulation of mTLR2, mTLR4, mTLR7, and mTLR8 mRNAs, indicating that mTLRs have a role in innate immunity in the mink. Collectively, our results are the first to establish the basic expression patterns of mTLRs and the relationship between mTLRs and a virus, which will contribute to better understanding of the evolution and the functions of mTLRs in the innate immune system in minks.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.25 no.10
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• pp.1156-1163
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• 2015

The present study investigated the immunomodulatory properties of four different medicinal plants in a cyclophosphamide-treated Balb/c mouse model. One of the four plants, Ulmus macrocarpa, showed partial resistance against immune suppression induced by cyclophosphamide. The bark of U. macrocarpa, commonly known as the Chinese elm, has been used as a pharmaceutical material in Korean traditional medicine to treat bacterial inflammation and induce wound healing. In this study, water extract of U. macrocarpa, named DEU-7, was used for its immunomodulating functional activity. DEU-7 increased the weight of the spleen and the number of splenocytes but did not significantly affect the liver, kidney, and thymus in vivo. A splenocyte viability assay confirmed that DEU-7 influenced ex vivo splenocyte survival. DEU-7 also increased the levels of cytokines, such as IL-2 and IL-4, and immunoglobulins, such as IgM, IgG, and IgA. These results indicated that DEU-7 is involved in the activation of T and B lymphocytes. In addition, DEU-7 was able to maintain the production of cytokines, such as TNF-α, IL-12, and IFN-γ, in the condition of cyclophosphamide-induced immune suppression, suggesting that DEU-7 activated innate immune cells, even under immune suppression. We concluded that DEU-7 aids immunological homeostasis, thereby preventing immune suppression, and aids both innate and adaptive immune response by maintaining the levels of various cytokines and immunoglobulins. Consequently, it is worth investigating the potential of DEU-7 as a supplemental source for immune-enhancing agents.